By: Briana Ramos

These photographs were taken at FOOD For Lane County’s Youth Farm located in Springfield, Oregon. This farm hires low-income high school children over the summer in order to give them the opportunity to  earn an income and teach them important skills through weekly educational programs.

Left, Michaela Hammer and Sonam Bashi are trimming arugula flowers at FOOD For Lane County’s Youth Farm in Springfield, Oregon. A bulk of the produce grown on this small, organic farm will be distributed to a local food bank, while the rest will be given to a CSA program which is a common way for local farmers to connect to the community.

Michaela Hammer, the assistant manager and field coordinator at FOOD For Lane County’s Youth Farm is tasting an arugula flower which is edible and grows on top of the arugula plant. Michaela Hammer is in charge of making sure things run smoothly on the front side of the farm and takes pride in being a “big part of a small farm.”

Sonam Bashi is rinsing his knife off at a water fountain found on FOOD For Lane County’s Youth Farm after using it to trim the flowers off of the arugula plants. Sonam Bashi is a regular volunteer at the Youth Farm- Hammer credits the farm’s success to volunteers like Bashi who keep the farm running.

Left, Joe Wolfe and Michaela Hammer are putting soil into flat potting trays that will later be moved into the farm’s greenhouse. The soil that is being used is a secret recipe created by the farm which is nutrient rich and allows for their their plants to flourish.

In FOOD For Lane County’s greenhouse, Michaela Hammer and volunteers are seeding herbs and plants such as basil into flat potting trays. During winter, plant sales are FOOD For Lane County’s strongest source of income.